Not open yet for 2026/27. We have not yet found an official opening date. The snowfall below is a model figure and does not mean the slopes are skiable.
Base depth
1cm
Snow 48h
0cm
Next 72h
0cm
A weather-model figure, worked out the same way for every ski area, and lower than what actually falls. Use it to compare ski areas, not against the resort’s own totals. How we measure →
Snow 24h
0 cm
Next 24h
0 cm
Temperature
0°C
Max wind
9 km/h
Elevation
256–744 m
Across
1.6 km
This season so far (1 Nov to 9 Nov): 9 cm. The average for these dates is under 10 cm, so we do not give a percentage yet. The average is over twelve winters on the same weather model. Across Japan →
Updated: 10 Nov 2026, 12:15
7-day outlook
Date
Weather
Snow (cm)
Low / high (°C)
Wind (km/h)
Tue 10 Nov
Cloudy
0
−2 to 3
9
Wed 11 Nov
Cloudy
0
−2 to 5
7
Thu 12 Nov
Drizzle
0
2 to 13
7
Fri 13 Nov
Drizzle
0
7 to 15
22
Sat 14 Nov
Drizzle
0
5 to 14
16
Sun 15 Nov
Drizzle
0
5 to 13
9
Mon 16 Nov
Drizzle
0
−3 to 8
20
Score breakdown
Fresh (48h)0/40
Forecast (24h)0/25
Snow quality4/20
Wind10/10
Base0/5
The five add up to the 100-point Powder Score: more fresh snow, more on the way and colder air all push it up. How we measure
Hanawa is built for competition: Alpine, cross-country and ski jumping events can all be held in the one area. It has normal-hill and medium-hill jumps and has hosted FIS giant slalom races. From the hot-spring bath at the Alpas training centre at the base, you look out over the slopes. Sources: city.kazuno.lg.jp, alpas.jp (sources read 13 Oct 2026; an AI draft the site operator has not yet checked)
Weather models read low in the mountains: a Japan Meteorological Agency station 5 km away measured 505 cm a winter over the last three seasons, against 290 cm from the model.
Runs and lifts
Counted from the runs and lifts drawn on OpenStreetMap, within the boundary of the ski area. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
Marked runs
4
Run length
3.6km
Lifts
3
Vertical
488m
Top 744 m · base 256 m
Run map
EasyIntermediateAdvancedLift
North is up. Runs are coloured by difficulty; black lines are lifts.Slope shape, difficulty and lift types
The shape of the mountain
Longest run on the map1.4 km
Steepest pitch28°measured over at least 30 m
Average gradient of the runs15.5°
Which way the slopes face
North65%
East0%
South0%
West35%
65% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east; plenty of the terrain faces the sun as well, so the lean is modest.
The most snow falls in January. March brings 57% of January’s snowfall.
74cmDec
81cmJan
62cmFeb
46cmMar
Average snowfall by month, last 12 winters
Winter by winter
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 263 cm, and 6 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 182 cm; the biggest was 2017/18 with 334 cm (1.8 times as much).
Total snowfall from December to March recorded at the 鹿角 weather station — 5 km from this ski area, 367 m below its mid-slope.
Three-season average
505 cm
2023/24
392 cm
2024/25
567 cm
2025/26
557 cm
The figure calculated on this page is 290 cm.
A weather station is not a ski slope. We picked one at a similar elevation, but it stands in a valley or a village. More snow falls on the mountain above it. We have not tried to guess how much more.
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency historical records
Worth seeing nearby
Within 20 km in a straight line, nearest first. Some lie over a pass that is closed in winter.
Chosen from the places most read about on Wikipedia, favouring those with an English article. Based on the Japanese Wikipedia lists of sights in each prefecture, as compiled in travel-log-data (CC BY-SA 4.0). English names from Wikidata (CC0). The content of this section is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map
The weather map, and where it sits among nearby ski areas.
Pick dates and guests to check rooms on Rakuten Travel
Prices are the lowest Rakuten Travel lists; a property name, or “Pick dates and guests” above, shows prices and rooms for your dates.
Contains advertising. Property names and Rakuten Travel’s booking pages are in Japanese. · Property data by Rakuten Travel (Supported by Rakuten Developers)
Places to stay on the map
4 places within 12 km of the slopes, as mapped on OpenStreetMap, many of them small inns and pensions. Many are not on booking sites — open the name for the website or the map.
Eleven little-known Japanese ski areas get 30 or more powder days a winter (Niseko 21) with little rain, and how to reach each one by bus, shuttle or hire car, from the official access pages.